


You Make Mistakes Rewriting Time (Unless You're a Time Lord)

by Haely_Potter



Series: Bending the Universe [7]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mentions of Character Death, Mild River Bashing, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2013-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-29 12:47:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1005641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haely_Potter/pseuds/Haely_Potter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>River tries rewriting the Doctor's past but messes up. The Doctor fixes things, just not the way River would have wanted him to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Make Mistakes Rewriting Time (Unless You're a Time Lord)

**Author's Note:**

> Set during The Power of Three and one of the impromptu trips the Doctor takes Amy and Rory on. AKA. very late in the Ponds' time traveling with the Doctor.

The planet they’re on, Deswat, has just been released from the grip of a tyrant, with a little help from (mostly) the Doctor. Amy and Rory had distracted the tripedal guards while the Doctor had hacked their (still very basic) computers and released the couple hundred thousand Deswatlings from the prisons all over the city, inciting a rebellion. Now, after they’d been honoured by a feast and had allowed their pictures to be taken (to be carved in their money, they said), the three aliens (on Deswat) made their way back to the TARDIS.

They were nearly there when the Doctor doubled over in pain, clutching at his head.

“Doctor?!” Amy shouted in concern as she and her husband knelt before him. “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s wrong with time,” he ground out, eyes distant as he analysed the timelines. Something was very wrong with them indeed, as he gained memories he hadn’t had before and lost some of his most dear. And... without those memories... he didn’t know who he’d be. How his life would have played out...

The memories he lost were all of Rose.

“No!” he shouted desperately as New New York and Cat nurse nuns faded, only to be replaced by Asgard with River. “What is she doing? She can’t rewrite my past!”

“Who’s rewriting your past? Doctor, talk to me!” Amy demanded, disturbed that her friend was crying.

“We should probably get him to the TARDIS,” Rory said and slid the Doctor’s arm over his shoulder, motioning for Amy to do the same. They help the weeping and sometimes whimpering Time Lord to the TARDIS, listening him plead for roses, or Rose, as it may be. They encountered a problem once they reached the time and space ship, because the Doctor was in no shape to snap his fingers and they had no key.

“Doctor, we need to open the TARDIS, do you have your key?” asked Amy, swatting her hair out of her face.

The Doctor focused on her for a second before moaning “Not my key, Rose’s key! Breast pocket, near my hearts where she should always be!” Amy ignored the thing about Rose and her hand dove into the inner pocket of the Doctor’s tweed jacket. Her fingers wrapped around the warm Yale key and as quickly as she could, she opened the TARDIS doors.

Soon as the Doctor was through the doors he stopped moaning and crying as he had two sets of memories, instead of one set replacing the other. “Thanks, Old Girl,” he smiled through his tears at the TARDIS who had stabilised his timeline. “Amy, that key,” he said, holding out his hand without looking at his friend. Once he had it again, he purposefully put it back to the inner breast pocket, above his left heart.

“Doctor, what was all that about?” enquired Rory.

“River is interfering in things she shouldn’t have,” answered the Doctor through his clenched teeth. “My past is my past and therefore quite sacred. And she is interfering in a chain of events that saved the whole of creation. Now shut up, I have to pinpoint the first difference in my memories,” he snapped at the Ponds, sitting down in the jump seat, head in hands.

His and Rose’s first meeting had been the same, he’d blown up her job at Henrick’s, he’d told her to run. The second meeting was the same too, through the cat flap at first, being strangled by the plastic hand, swanning off, telling Rose he could feel the turn of the Earth. Their third encounter had been identical too, finding her in the restaurant with the plastic Mickey, introducing her to the TARDIS, “Lots of planets have a North!”, finding the Nestene Consciousness, her saving him, “This is not just a London hopper, you know”, “I can’t”, “Okay, then. See you ‘round.” He’d still gone to Christmas 1998 and gave her that red bicycle. Then the Titanic and clinging to the ice berg. But... Kennedy’s assassination was different, there was the strange woman with wild curly hair and mysterious smile and he was intrigued, but he left her behind. He should have been using that time to try to forget Rose Tyler, but that woman had completely sidetracked him. Then he found her in Sumatra and he realized she was a time traveller, like himself. His first thought was Time Agent, but she’d laughed in his face and called him sweetie when he’d confronted her about it. Sumatra was when he should have realised he hadn’t told Rose TARDIS travelled in time too, rather than just space, and run straight back to her. There shouldn’t have been a foray to Austrian court with River, there shouldn’t have been a trip to Merida with River, River shouldn’t have been with him when he encountered that Dalek in Utah 2012, River shouldn’t have been with him in London 1941 when he met Jack, Jack shouldn’t have been with him when he met Harriet Jones and blew up Downing street, Jack shouldn’t have died permanently on Game Station, he shouldn’t have met Donna fighting the Sycorax, he was alone when meeting Sarah Jane, he was late to the cybermen invasion Pete’s world (Pete died, Rickey and Jake were the only ones left to defend that world), there was no impossible planet because there was nothing he believed in.

In short, River should have stayed well away from his past.

Enormous rage began building up in him when he thought of River manipulating his timeline like that. It was like all her half-Time Lord instincts had been turned off, leaving her a selfish human who wanted more time with her beloved, fuck the Universe.

But then, this wasn’t the first time she’d fucked things up, was it? She’d almost managed to destroy the Universe when she tried to alter a fixed point. That she’d done it to save his life and he appreciated the sentiment, but she should have known better.

Turning inwards, he inspected the person he would (have) become with River’s interference. And he didn’t like what he saw. He was shorter with his companions, keeping them all at an arm’s length and putting up with less... humanness. The River-interference him hadn’t even thanked Martha after the whole 1913 thing. He and Donna had been friend but they hadn’t had that almost-sibling-like relationship they should have. He was also less merciful with his enemies (like after he’d lost Rose, but he’d mellowed out by the time Donna travelled with him). There had been no Time Lord Victorious, that was true, but that was simply because he barely felt anything. He was... beyond broken.

He sprang up and sprinted to the TARDIS monitor. She should have information of both timelines now in her memory banks so he looked up Rose Tyler.

 **In alternate universe/deceased** popped up on the screen. **D.o.D.** **07/02/2007**. The Doctor swallowed. It was the same date no matter the timeline then, Rose Tyler was always a victim of the Battle of Canary Wharf. But because of River’s meddling, she was dead instead of safe and alive in Pete’s World (or rather Universe Alpha 391873.4728).

Amy was looking at the screen over his shoulder. “How can she have two different results?”

“She is what River’s changing,” answered the Doctor tightly. “Because of that change she dies.” He turned to Amy. “I know she is your daughter, but her actions have killed the best person I’ve ever had the honour of knowing so I want you to choose: either you sit this one out or you do not interfere, at all.”

Amy swallowed at the dark look in his eyes. Being his friend right now wouldn’t afford her any mercy should she cross him now but she had to know what he was going to do, even if she couldn’t save her daughter from whatever fate the Doctor deemed appropriate.

“I’ll not interfere,” she promised.

“Me neither,” promised Rory when the Doctor turned to look at him before nodding.

“To Sumatra we go then,” he said and sprinted around console, for once utilitarian in flying the TARDIS, forgoing little twirls and incessant babbling. Once they’ve landed he sprinted to the door and threw it open to the surprised faces of his ninth self and River. “River, inside. Now.”

“Sweetie, I was just getting to know you,” River protested, gesturing to the leather clad Doctor.

“River, you’re changing my past,” he spat out. “You can’t change my past. The very reason you’re even still alive at the moment is because I’m inside the TARDIS and have memories of my original past, which taught me mercy. The past you changed left out the person who taught me mercy, who taught me to care about others again. Your meddling erased my hearts instead of leaving them broken. I’ve always said it, better a broken heart than no heart at all, and now I can say it with conviction, because of personal experience. You,” he turned to his past self, “forget everything about River. I mean everything. Forget you saw her at Kennedy’s assassination. Forget meeting her here. Forget what she told you. After that, you will go back to Rose Tyler and tell her TARDIS also travels in time. You won’t regret it. Even when she’s gone, you won’t regret one second you spend with her, even when losing her breaks your hearts.” He turned back to River. “Didn’t you hear me? Inside.”

“But you’re in so much pain,” she said, gesturing to the leather clad Doctor. “How can I leave you?”

“By knowing that he will go to the one person who will really help him heal instead of gluing him together. Rory, go fetch your daughter,” he ordered over his shoulder. “I can’t leave the TARDIS or I’ll kill her,” he said and glared at River, the Oncoming Storm raging in his eyes. He stepped aside to let Rory through the TARDIS doors to fetch River and stalked to the console. As soon as the doors closed he hit the dematerialisation switch and sent the TARDIS to the vortex.

He turned to find River shivering by the door. “The TARDIS is angry about something.”

“Of course she is,” deadpanned the Doctor. “You just singlehandedly prevented the chain of events that lead to her having something of a sister. You may be a child of the TARDIS, but you haven’t seen her heart.” He stalked closer to River.”Explain yourself.”

River took a deep breath. “I was reading about the Time War.” The Doctor nodded without a word. “And I thought how you must’ve felt. I thought... I thought to give you something to live for.” The _Like you did me_ remained unsaid.

“You mean you wanted you to be to me what I am to you,” he countered bitterly. “Do you want to know what you did instead?” River nodded hesitantly. “You killed two very dear friends of mine who would have helped save the world time and again in ways you cannot even begin to understand. You destroyed my relationship with two companions, one of which won’t even talk to me, the other, well, we weren’t as close as we were supposed to, but her ultimate fate didn’t change. Because of you, there are still threats out there that I should have dealt with already, but because things were different, I’ve not been there. I hope you’re proud, because your meddling, had I not gotten to the TARDIS in time, would have resulted in a world where I had become a sociopath.”

“How can one person affect all that?” asked River.

“Because she was a constant positive influence, not a fluttering mystery,” the Doctor nearly shouted and grabbed River by her shoulders, shaking her slightly. “I had just finished the Time War, I needed that ray of sunshine in my life, not a lighthouse on the horizon that promised a safe haven sometime in the future! That me didn’t even really like you! He never liked anybody, just Rose. Everyone else was just... background noise. You, you intrigued him, a woman from his future who knew him, knew his name. He felt a responsibility to get to know you. The next one, the one with the pinstripes, just didn’t care either way when he should have been the me that cared too much! My timeline isn’t your playground, River! I don’t care that you’re my wife or if you think I’m in agony, if it’s in my past, you can’t do anything about it! Is that clear?”

River nodded jerkily, crying silently.

The Doctor took a calming breath and let go of her. “Now, where are you in your timeline?”

“I’ve just been released from Storm Cage. Someone’s been deleting you from every database in the Universe,” she answered. “So there was no one for me to have murdered.”

“Yes, guilty, I’m afraid,” he turned away from her and took the steps to the console two at a time. “Daleks already forgot me, I thought better make it more permanent.” He sat down on the jump seat. “What are you doing now?”

“Just writing some papers,” answered River. They ignored Amy’s delighted laughter. “I’m going to be a professor soon, just like you said on Byzantium.”

“Have you heard of an expedition to the Library?” the Doctor asked, wanting to know how soon he could be rid of her (permanently), keep her from fucking up the Universe again. Just then he felt time snap back the way it was always supposed to go. He glanced at it superficially, to make sure it was alright when a difference to the first one caught his attention. The initial change was small, him telling Rose his feelings on their first trip to Bad Wolf Bay right before fading. He was a little calmer than he should have been, but that was only a good thing when dealing with Martha and Donna. Martha was still his friend, a shoulder to cry on if he needed. Donna, the sister of his heart, was... living the life, day after day, with a twin... his twin... their twin... a sibling born from both of them. The two way metacrisis was stable only as long as they were together. In the original timeline, leaving the Clone with Rose was what set Donna’s mind off balance. Jack was where he should be, in Cardiff monitoring the Rift, immortal as ever. Rose...

“Oh, great, now I have double set of memories,” River sighed.

“Don’t whine, I have triple set of memories,” the Doctor said back feeling rather placid, and went back to inspecting these new memories. So, Rose... Rose had... Rose had chosen him, had chosen him over her own family and a Doctor who could give her what she should have wanted as a normal human woman. Instead she... she wanted the freedom to travel the stars, with him. She had been there all through Bowie Base One (no Time Lord Victorious in this timeline either, but only because Rose was there), the dead planet, Master and Gallifrey  returning, his regeneration. She had been the last and first thing he saw, again, his hearts sang. She had been with him through Pandorica and TARDIS exploding, through the mess with the Silence. She had been there when TARDIS was human and... had become a TARDIS herself? Well, part TARDIS – gaining? Re-learning? – the ability to time travel on her own, testing it out but always returning to him, the Girl Who Came Back. He was the Time Traveller’s husband. For once it was that way instead of the other.

River, on the other hand, was still River, still flirted with him when Rose’s back was turned, trying to seduce him. Even introducing him to Captain Jack Harkness hadn’t helped, even though they got on like a house on fire. She still died/will die in the Library after whispering the end of his name to him (how does she find out? Does she listen at the door when he and Rose make love?).

He materialised the TARDIS somewhere random and with a grin he skipped to the doors, with the intent of stabilising this new, this third timeline, as the primary timeline. River grabbed his arm to stop him. To turn him to look at her.

There was pain in her eyes, and mockery in his. _You wanted to play God with my timeline_ , his eyes said, _now reap what you sow, after I saved your arse. Only I can manipulate it. I’m a Time Lord, you’re part human, part Gallifreyan and a dash of TARDIS thrown in, with none of the education needed to be a Time Lord. Nuances of Time are mine, mine alone, and this is the Timeline I want, a timeline in which I get to keep Rose and I’m not forced to marry you_.

After a few seconds River let go of his arm, defeated look in her eyes, and he slips out of the TARDIS, dragging her with him, and with that, the only evidence of timelines past disappear. Their memories of them become hazy and eventually they fade away completely, River shedding a few silent tears, the Doctor grinning from ear to ear.

Then Rose was fading in and out of existence in front of them, materialising just a few feet away. The Doctor whooped and gathered her in his arms, swinging her around. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in centuries!” he said when he let her down, just to stop her from answering by kissing her soundly on lips.

River watched them, once again feeling second best. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Rose, she did actually, very much so, but she also loved the Doctor and her heart broke every time she saw them together. She wanted him to be happy, but she would have preferred it if he was happy with her rather than Rose. With a bitter smile she activated her vortex manipulator and hopped back to her study. She had papers to write if she wanted to replace the soon-retiring archaeology Professor.

She wasn’t the first woman to live with unrequited love after all.


End file.
